title: Cataract surgical outcomes from a large-scale micro-surgical campaign in China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess cataract surgical outcomes during the Jiangxi Provincial Government's "Brightness and Smile Initiative" (BSI) in South East China during May 2009 to July 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross sectional combined with retrospective study included 1157 cataract surgical patients (1254 eyes) recruited from six counties in Jiangxi during the initiative. Patient information before surgery and at discharge was obtained from hospitals' case records. Patient follow-up eye examinations were conducted during field visits in the autumn of 2010. Fifteen months after the initiative started, study subjects were examined by provincial ophthalmologists using a Snellen visual chart, portable slit lamp, torch and ophthalmoscope. The World Health Organization (WHO) cataract surgical outcome monitoring tally sheet and the outcome categories good (visual acuity, VA, ≥ 0.3 (6/18)), borderline (VA <0.3 but ≥ 0.1 (6/60)) and poor (VA < 0.1) were used for data collection and analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 99.7% of operated patients had intraocular lenses implanted. The percentage of eyes with good outcomes (presenting VA) at follow-up was low (49.6%), while the borderline and poor outcome rates were high (34.1% and 16.3%, respectively), in comparison to WHO recommendations. There was a significant outcome difference at follow-up (p < 0.01) between eyes operated by county surgeons trained by an International Non-Government Organization and those operated on by other visiting surgeons.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study documented a low rate of good cataract surgical outcomes from the BSI in Jiangxi. The quality of cataract surgery should be improved further in the province.
authors.affiliation: The Affiliated Eye Hospital of Nanchang University , Nanchang City , China .
authors.forename: Baixiang
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Chunhong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.forename: Yaling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Le Mesurier
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Limburg
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Iezze
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002386:Cataract / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult